Monday, February 28, 2011

Prefectship: Is it worth it?

Those of you who subscribe to the Sunday morning rag sheet would've have seen the good name of my Alma Mater being dragged through the mud. With it, the shadowy world of prefects and the ragging that they receive as the initiation ritual have come to light.

No right to hurt your brother

I am lucky enough to attend one of the few institutes of higher education in Sri Lanka where ragging is unheard of. When it is so, a new student feels freedom and belonging and a sense of security in his new environment. This is in stark contrast to what some of my friends have had to go through at some of our universities. Ragging, therefore, is a hurtful and vicious activity that should be eliminated.

As schoolchildren, our teachers would make it a point to disciplinary action against children who bully the other kids in the class. Therefore, isn't it a logical extension of that principle to view ragging as a systematic, and extreme form of bullying? And therefore, isn't it logical that the students who have been guilty of bringing upon their fellow students mental and physical harm be subjected to the most severe punishment that the College can hand them: expulsion?

Prison-guard mentality 

Out of the 17 prefects who got suspended, I knew quite well a few. I knew a few of the victims as well. They were among the smartest, most talented (through sports, aesthetics, debating, etc.) and most level headed people I knew. These are kids who would go to debates and make the audience cry about how humiliating and painful ragging is. These were well rounded junior citizens, on their way to take on the world (at some of the most prestigious universities the world over).

So what gives? What turns a non-violent, smart, level-headed kid into a thug who abuses kids (most of whom he has known for years). And what allows this kind of abuse to go on for years without the abused speaking out against it?

There was a very interesting experiment done in the Stanford University in 1971.  Termed the 'Stanford prison experiment', it took 24 undergraduates and assigned them roles as 'prison guards' and 'prisoners'. The outcome of the whole experiment was astounding. The 'prisoner guards' adapted to their roles so well that they began being authoritarian and torturing the 'prisoners'. And the 'prisoners' adapted so well that they would take that abuse as if they deserved it and generally behaved in a subjugated manner. I highly recommend that you read that entire article, because it certainly blew my mind away.

So, giving kids who are in the cusp of adulthood and responsibility a 'prison guard' role, are we endangering theirs and their subjects' futures? Are we bringing up a generation of 'prisoners' who think that they deserve the abuse they get? Are we telling kids that it's okay to be authoritarian and abusive, if you're in a position of power?

Is the tradition of 'Prefectship' worth all of this?

10 comments:

  1. Being a prefect is perhaps the first chance the boys get to exercise 'seniority' powers. For some it is the day when new people come to the school. They don't consider it a bad habit, but a right they've got from being seniors.
    In other words, the problem comes from the seniority concept. Seniority isn't a bad thing itself, but these seniority traditions have to be rooted out somehow or other.

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  2. Ragging is an extreme form of bullying, there is absolutely no doubt. Prefectship on the other hand is debatable. I come from an all girl's school, & comparing with my male friends their experience as prefects I could see that girl prefects & boy prefects took to their roles kind of differently. I don't think calling prefects "cops" as done in certain schools help either. Prefects should be guides to the younger crowd who look upon them to direct them the proper way & not get all prison guard like. Being a "cop" could set a tone in that person's personality for the rest of his/her life.

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  3. According to Wikipedia, Sri Lanka has the most notoriuos records on ragging in the entire world. Disgraceful!

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  4. First, you must remember that everything printed by that paper must be read with a pinch of salt.

    As for ragging, yeah... terrible thing that. I'm glad I've never experienced it. Have you read the Giniralla Conspiracy?

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  5. Good post and I think the Warden did the right thing.

    Puppeteer, I agree with your views on the Leader, unfortunately despite its shortcomings it is the most independent paper around. The Sunday Times is getting rather tame now.

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  6. Thameera - Agreed, man.

    And Thameera and Kirigalpoththa - Isn't it just weird how usually gentle people turn into such psychopaths when in a mob?

    Book Baker - I agree that prefectship comes with that responsibility, but some people use that as means to intimidate the youngsters (as you said, I guess it mostly happens in boys' schools) and not as a way to lead by example. :(

    Meg - I agree. ;)

    Same here. And nope, I have not. I have a friend who's a big fan of it though. Should find myself a copy. :)

    Jack Point - Thanks. :)

    And she, um, works at the Times. ;)

    Thanks for the comments and your views, guys. :)

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  7. Oops. :) But I'm sure she won't mind. It has happened to most of the newspapers, over the last few years.

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  8. Jack - Hehe, yeah pretty sure she won't. :D And agree with you about the quality of the papers.

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  9. hey, just wanted to point out. Remember last year Leader went all out on attacking a girls school, over one incident. It was a grave one but there was much more to it than that was reported in the paper, (if you remember it was about a school girl suicide and in the same week there were four others and four more attempted suicides which the paper ignored) So you will have read what ever is said very carefully.

    having said that I would not for a minute sympathize with raging of any form.

    Another point to note, am graduate of a local uni and never ever gone through raging! So its not always right to put raging and local universities in an exclusive box all the time.

    Giniralla is a nice read, again, take it with a pinch of salt. Much has happened in our universities in the past but present is much better. We have evolved.

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  10. Chaths - Yeah, The Leader is being The Leader...

    I know, but life for an anti-ragger at uni is pretty difficult, isn't it? There aren't any universities that are "rag-free", as far as I'm aware... :(

    I agree. Things have evolved with regard to schools as well, and I know for a fact that the Thomian rag is not as bad as it once was...

    Thanks for the comment! :)

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